Dan Armstrong - Man & Guitars

At left, playing a black prototype Dan Armstrong · Ampeg guitar - John Anthony Genzale, better known as Johnny Thunders came to prominence in the early 1970^s as a member of the New York Dolls. He later played with The Heartbreakers and, eventually, as a solo artist. At right, Thunders with the New York Dolls perform on stage at the Rainbow Room at the fashion store Biba in Kensington, London on the 26^th of November 1973.

At left, Thunders and the New York Dolls opening for Faces at Wembley Stadium on October 30^th 1972. At right, an ST pickup is in use. Unlike many other guitarists of the time, it appears that Thunders didn't alter his Armstrong guitars. On both the photos above, notice he is not playing the black prototype model. As seen here, he also had a clear model as well.

At left, the New York Dolls in NYC. At right, Thunders and the Dolls at the Mercer Arts Center, 1972. Notice in both images he is playing the black prototype instrument.

At left and right, in unknown venues - the New York Dolls in concert. Notice that Thunders is playing his Dan Armstrong. At right about all one can make out is the maple neck and, even more so, the unmistakable headstock of the Dan Armstrong guitar.

The guitarists of the New York Dolls often visited Dan Armstrong Guitars to do business. In an interview online guitarist Sylvain relates during a break in touring with the Dolls (who reformed in 2004 after a 29-year break-up and were enjoying greater success than ever) “Me and Johnny Thunders basically put the Les Paul Junior on the map. We used to go down to Dan Armstrong Guitars in Greenwich Village and they’d have all these cool Gibson guitars in the window — Les Paul Black Beauties and the archtops - and we could never afford those babies. They were, like, $800 or $900. In the very back, though, Armstrong would have the Juniors, and those were $300. So after the New York Dolls worked and sold their clothes and sold their asses or whatever, we could come up with the $300 for the Juniors. Because I only had $300 I'd get that Yellow TV model and Johnny bought a Black Beauty at Dan Armstrong’s."

At left and what looks like a can of Budweiser beer sits atop an early 1970^s Marshall stack as Johnny Thunders plays a Dan Armstrong guitar. At right, a closer view, along with a different shirt but at the same venue with The Dolls at St. Mark's Place in 1973.

As Ada Calhoun wrote in The New Yorker - regarding St. Marks Place; "Gone are the days of Thelonious Monk playing the Five Spot jazz club, Andy Warhol hosting the Exploding Plastic Inevitable, and the New York Dolls ambling down the street in hot pants."

In the enlarged views the body looks to have a sparkle type finish over the clear acrylic, as well as what looks like duct tape holding the swappable pickup in place. Looks like he's about to play a Dmaj chord. That, or he was just leaving that chord. Oddly, in the first photo it appears that Thunders ran his guitar cord between the guitar body and the strap, thus saving the instrument's scratchplate. However in the second photo it appears that he abandoned that idea and ran the guitar chord straight down. Photos courtesy of Linda Robbins.

Stephen Travers played bass for The Miami Show band, who were often referred to as “The Irish Beatles”, as they were hugely popular. Seen at left, he played an original black prototype Dan Armstrong bass.

Unfortunately, Travers was only in the band for six weeks when members of his group lost their lives on July 31, 1975 at a bogus checkpoint that quickly become known as the 'Miami Show band Massacre' which took place at Banbridge Co. Down by the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) a loyalist paramilitary group.